Faith Mountain Farm's New Arrivals!

We were surprised to have Sally go into labor last night, 5 days earlier than we expected, though within a perfectly normal time frame for goats! She started showing pre-labor signs at about 6 p.m., and I new that she wasn't about to give us a nice convenient birthing like Butterscotch did! I had to head to church at 7, and Mark kept an eye on her. Our music team thought it was more than a little funny that I might have to leave to play goat midwife!






My friend Kindra's daughter Jordan is our very own "Dr. Dolittle" already, and she had been so disappointed to miss Butter's delivery. So, I just brought her home from music practice, and we began our labor vigil! Mark had gotten the boys to sleep on the promise that we would wake them when the babies were about to be born...but that no, they couldn't stay up-the kids might not arrive till midnight or so. I am so thankful she was there...she just has a knack at knowing how to pitch in a help, and more than cheerfully took the job of helping clean up babies and keep them warm!





















Jordan and I hung out for about 1/2 an hour with Sally, and there was no sign of change and not many contractions. So, we decided we would head in, call her mom to see if she should spend the night on the couch or just come home, and get ready for a nap. At 10 p.m. we went out to check on her one more time before getting a bit of a snooze with the baby monitor on, and I'm glad we checked her! Things were definitely progressing, so we just stayed with her. About midnight,I called Mark (asleep in the house) to tell him they would be delivered shortly, and to please wake up the boys and head on out.

Well, he headed on out, but with no boys in tow! They both cried "I'm too tired!" and refused to get up, even after a 2nd attempt. Thank goodness I had Jordan to help me! I was grateful that this morning Andrew didn't seem too disappointed to have missed the birth. By 12:25 the buckling was born, and the doeling followed at 12:45. I was more than a little frustrated that Sally didn't deliver the placenta till 2:30 a.m.!!! Crawling into bed finally at 3:30 this morning has left me more than a little tired!


















Sally is a fantastic momma, and I'm so thankful that we have yet another birth in mild weather and anoter first-time momma that seems to know what she's doing! We're not sure yet whether we're going to keep these or not. Right now I am very strongly inclined to keep them...their coloring is just stunning, imho, and they seem put together so well-not gangly or out of proportion the way Butter's babies seemed. We'll have to decide soon...the boys are really pulling to keep them, and I don't want them to get their hopes up needlessly.


















I tell you what, there are few things in life cuter than a newborn Nigerian Dwarf kid!!!


*Can you believe you just let yourself read a goat's labor story? :)